Barbarians at the gates
by lostbattallion
Summary: Void magic becomes increasingly more common as the years go by, and it is accepted as the fifth element. but things are afoot in the east, as a powerful and extremely intelligent being gathers together an army of monsters. Into the middle of it all, a young american soldier is thrown, after being summoned by an unwitting void mage.
1. Chapter 1

The battle was fierce. Mike was losing consciousness, and his blood was pooling beneath him. all around him were clashing blades as the orcs overwhelmed the tristanian and gallian knights. eventually, he was alone, surrounded by gleefully taunting goblins. "gotcha now human! gonna eatcha alive real slow! ehehehe" mike just grinned and pulled his hand from a satchel, holding a grenade. his other hand lifted a horn to his lips. and he blew. the germanian fleet, led by saito, louise, kirche, and henrietta burst forth from the clouds and began bombarding the foul creatures. at the same time a large germanian force opened ranks to let the tristanians and gallians through and then closed them, creating a shield of steel and fresh units closed in , forming a pinscher movement. the creatures were utterly surrounded. Mike took in the look of shock from the monsters around him "did'ya really think it'd be that easy? HA! you stupid bastards..." he pulled the pin of the grenade as he creatures turned back to him, their fury evident. "y'know...i really wish i'd gotten around...to getting a girlfriend...koff...shit...never thought it'd end this way. surreal. anywho, lets meet up in hell you green fucks!" he grinned, turning his green eyes at the sky as his fingers let go of the spoon. the grenade rolled from his hand. he clasped them together on his chest and arranged his thin frame comfortably. his helmet fell off revealing his brown hair to the elements. he sighed. "three...two...one" The explosion echoed as loudly as the screams of the orcs caught in the blast.

an hour later, the last of the creatures was felled. the area was combed and the bodies of the valiant fallen recovered and the wounded rushed to the nearest hospital tent. in one of these tents lay mike. the group gathered around was a somber one. there were bags under saito's eyes, and louise was barely supressing her tears. Tabitha was staring uncomprehendingly at the pale figure lying on the cot while sylphie held her shouldes. tiffania was openly weeping, as queen henrietta sat with a stone face. Kirche and montmorency were holding each other as guiche sat in a chair staring at the floor "so...who's gonna tell arrianna?" he asked, being met only with silence. a doctor came in, rubbing his bald head before adjusting his spectacles. All those present looked at him expectantly, some hopefully. saito spoke. "well? is he going to be OK or-" his voice broke before he could utter that terible phrase. the doctor looked at the faded figure on the bed. "he lost a lot of blood, and those barbaric creature's weapons often induce infection... As he is now...I honestly do not know." mike was conciouss,Unable to speak or move, but able to hear everything. as the darkness gathered he could only think of how all of this began...

It was hot, almost unbearably so for the infantrymen riding in the humvee. but it better than outside, where the desert sun beat down on you while the ground itself radiated heat. Private Mike Retter once again found himself adjusting his body armor and fiddling with his M4 to stave off the sleepiness that threatened to overwhelm him. "you alright new guy?" asked his large neighbor, a staff sergeant named Malloy. "i'm alrght sergeant, just a little tired is all." he rubbed his eyes to wake up. he adjusted his armor again, thinking annoyed that it didn't fit right. He reached up and took off his helmet, wiping the sweat from his hair. "PUT YOUR KEVLAR BACK ON DUMBASS! WE ARE ON A PATROL! INSURGENTS LOVE DUMB FUCKS LIKE YOU, EASIER TO SNIPE!" Corporal Kaplan, the source of the yelling, looked down from his gunner position at mike, his expression hidden by shadow. at that moment, a puff of smoke on a neaby ridge grabbed their attenion, "RPG!" the warhead slammed the humvee and triggered a buried series of ieds that immobilized the convoy. there was shouting and gunshots all around, mike groggily kicked open the door of his vehicle and staggered out, barely conscious. the corporal was dead. the vehicle had rolled, and kaplan had been ejected and crushed. he didn't know about the driver or his sergeant, or the other private who was in the passenger seat sleeping. he limped over and checked. the doors were open and everyone was gone, mike figured that they'd gone to help the main convoy drive off the attackers. "damn, my head...it hurts like hell..." Mike secured some extra ammunition the rest of his ear from the humvee and waited, eyes on the horizon. one of the rules of engagement was, never abandon usable equipment or weapons, and another was never leave a man behind, so mike guarded his companions posessions, and the unfortunate corporal. suddenly, there was a whistling sound in the air. mike dived as mortat shells hit his position, probably directed by a spotter. shrapnel tore into mike's legs and lower back. Ignoring the pain, he rolled into a prone firing position. and began plugging away at the near ridge, before finally being gratified with a yelp from the hidden spotter. at that moment several 7.62 mm rounds. slammed into the earth next to him. mike crawled into the nearest cover, which was his smoking humvee and tried to pick out the attackers. his next moment he was falling through the ground as a portal opened up beneath him "oh shi-" were the last things out of his mouth as he felt the sudden weightlessness.

Arianna Duval was sixteen and very pretty. among those in tristain's magical academy she was considered a beauty. she was tall, with bright blonde hair, full red lips, and eyes a deep doe brown. her figure was petite and dainty. her loud and tomboyish personality caused most of the other students to stay a safe distance. she had many close friends though, and was a decent, if not powerful magic user. She was prepared for her first summoning, and excited to see what kind of familiar she would get. however, her excitement turned to suprise and confusion as a dusty figure landed heavily in front of her. suprise turned to shock as she noticed the blood staining the legs and back of the arrival. the teacher was startled "finish the contract while I go get a healer! keep him conscious, oh founder that is a lot of blood!"

Mike was weak, the adrenaline had worn off and his vision was tunneling. his legs and back were on fire. he looked up at the muffled sound of voices in a language he could'nt understand. he found himself staring ino the worried face of a young girl. "wha?" he couldn't say more as she had kissed him. his eyes widened, his body began to feel unnaturally hot, and finally his hand began to burn. "GYAH!" he cried as the burn turned into a short lived searing. his concentration broke and finally, the darkness closed in.

4 years after the defeat of the ancient dragon, Saito Hiraga was Stuck in his office, with his maid and self proclaimed lover siesta. he was giving his every effort to ignore her barely concealed advances while he did his boring daily routine of running his estate. there was a rash of petty thievery in the nearby village, and many businesses had sent for construction permits, not to mention petetions for him to make public appearances so people could see the hero of tristania. in the hall he could hear the approach of his beloved louise, marked by her imperiously ignoring his servant's attempts to stop her. he momentarily smiled but this was short lived as siesta tripped and knocked saito from his chair before landing in a decidedly erotic position on top of him, just as louise burst in. louise's face went from a smile to pure fury in a split second "saito...YOU DOG!" she raised her wand and cast. an elderly man in the nearby village noted the smoke and the tremors before chuckling. "ah, young love"

hours pass, as saito and his servants repair and reorganize the office. a messenger rides in, with both man and horse breahing heavily. saito notices the visitor from his window and descends to meet him on the first floor. the messenger hands saito the letter before dashing off

"saito

man with strange weapon and clothing was summoned as a familiar, he is badly hurt, and does not seem to understand halkeginian. requesting your assistance, believe he is another resident of earth.

osmond"

saito folded the letter and requested his cariage be ready. the servant nodded and took off. Louise saw the grave look on saito's face and automatically knew something was wrong. a look of concern came over her features. "saito, what happened?" He looked at her and simply said "we are going to the academy, they've summoned another person from my world there. please get siesta." he hugged her then and took off to grab delflinger. within a day, the group was on the way..

mike woke up to the sound of hushed voices. jagged pieces of metal and bloody tools lined a nearby table. mikes vision swam as he moved his head. he was on a very soft bed, and the voices were just outside of a sturdy door at the end of the room. he could not find the energy to raise his head further. a heaviness on his right arm caused him to look over, and he found himself staring into the face of the young girl from earlier. she had fallen asleep, and was resting on his arm. the door opened and mike's head turned to observe the intruder. it was an elderly man, dressed in a simple brown robe carrying a staff. He spoke and started swinging a wand around. "this guy is fuckin' nuts" thought mike. the old man suddenly pointed the wand at mike, who suddenly felt lightheaded and dizzy. "whoa...wha...huh? m-my head..." the old man began to speak again " -o you un-rstan- -ow? hello? can you understand me?" mike shook his head to clear it and looked at the man in shock "wh-what the hell did you do to me?" mike was startled by his sentence, both because it was no longer in english, and because he understood it. It took several hours, but the situation was explained. Mike lay back as the old man, osmond, removed the stil-sleeping girl from the chamber.

Mike was sitting up and eating when the group walked in his mouth still full he spoke "oh...hewwo" mike swallowed and sighed. "much better than an MRE, god i've missed real food. "saito took in the dog tags, the jacket crumpled on the floor, and the equipment in a corner of the room. "An american?" mike looked over " yeah, you seem to be the only one who knows what that is around here. why?" saito cleared his throat "four years ago I was transported here from japan. we're in a different world now. But we can send you home soon enough. Louise, open the world door please." She nodded, pink hair bobbing as she cast. the portal opened and everyone turned to the newcomer. to their suprise, his only reaction was cocking an eybrow. "I land in a fantasy realm, with dragons, magic, and real food...and you expect me to leave? i'm interested, and there's nothing for me to go back to. the last member of my family died several years ago. we never mmet, and My service was almost up. besides, there is no way I could explain ending up in japan without causing an interntional incident." needless to say, those gathered were shocked at his indifference to his situation, and even more so at his clear-headed approach to it.

within a day, mike was standing again. he was moving about rather recklessly, to the chagrin of the healer. Arianna, however, found it entirely endearing. She would often challenge him to races; which, considering his profession were usually her loss. "*gasp* how...*gasp* do you...get so...fast?" mike grinned, sweat dripping from his brow. "running...keeps you...alive...so you...run faster...to keep others alive..." within a week, mike was training with a sword and armor.  
one morning while mike was sparring with the son of a knight, arianna came down with news. "they have found my void power, I can control the ebb and flow of time. it is only for short periods, but I think its really amazing! I Can Make myself really fast by slowing time down! I'll never lose another race! mike's face grew concerned. "using magic for the benefit of yourself is alright, but isn't that cheating?" he blocked a strike from the already tired young noble and easily sidestepped another. "if i could use magic, i'd use it for the benefit of others." Arianna puffed her cheeks and walked up to mike before suckerpunching him in the kidney. "oof...Gah!...ow!..." caught off guard, mike lowered his sword and his opponent's sword knocked him on the head "dammit!OWOWOWOWOW!" mike dropped and lay flat, his eyes swirling. "why'dya hit me?" the young noble looked scared "it was an accident! Im sorry!" the kid looked close to tears. "not you. i know it was an accident. it was her" mike pointed at the grinning arianna who stood over mike with her arms crossed. "i don't need magic to help others. an besides, didn't anyone tell you not to beat up kids?" mike sighed. "he was actually teaching me. he's actually good, but small so the swords are heavy." mike's vision finally focused and he blushed. arianna looked confused for a moment until she realized why. "ASSHOLE PERVERT!" arianna kicked mike in the face before stalking off "ow..." mike said, his voice hoarse. after awhile, he decided to head to his quarters. It was a servant's room, with a simple bed, small closet, and a washbasin. he fell heavily onto his bead, still dealing with his headache. he was rubbing his temples when a soft knock at the door drew his attention. "Michael? are you there?" mike walked to the door and opened it, to reveal arianna, an apologetic look on her face. "i'm, i'm sorry about earlier. i was the one who stood in the wrong position." mike smiled, " no problem, 'to err is human' as the old saying goes" she brightened. "okay, see you tomorrow then." she strode off towards her dorm. mike sighed and strode over to his bed, lying down and falling asleep instantly.

meanwhile, saito was brooding. siesta noticed and asked "i-is everything ok?" saito sighed and smiled tiredly at her. "truth be told, i'm worried about that new familiar, or rather, his weapon. If it fell into the wrong hands, it could upset the balance of power on the whole continent. just studying it would mean better and more dangerous guns. i'm glad that osmond locked it away, but has that really stopped anyone in he past?" siesta looked thoughtful "is the new man a good person?" saito nodded the affirmative "he didn't seem like a bad sort, kind of goofy, but a good guy." siesta smiled "then it shouldn't be a problem. now, would you like some tea?" siesta bent over, dangling her extensive bosom in front of saito as she laid down the tray. saito went bright red "erm...yeah...that's great...thanks." siesta left, satisfied with herself.

far in the east, the sound of fire and ringing metal cut through the night. goblins hammered out crude blades and created ugly black armor by the hundreds as more and more of their bretheren joined them. hobgoblins, tall and strong, from the northern mountains, marshland orcs, stunted and grotesque from the swamps and waterways of the south, trolls from the plains, and gremlins from the forests. in a great log bastion in the midst of this camp sat temull djinn, king of the taigun, a powerful eastern raider lord and master of dark, forbidden magic. around him sat hundreds of his clan, arranged by importance. the nervous whinny of the steppe horses outside, and the ring of forges were the only sounds that were heard. he was in his forties, with his long black hair turning grey, and his hard features weathered by sun and scarred by campaigns. he wore many rings in his hair, of iron and steel. he spoke, with his gravelly voice reaching to the ends of the room no matter how low he said it. "the time has come, my warriors, to avenge the defeat of ages past. The western heathens will no longer be able to mock the taigun people, or call us barbarians. Many years ago, my father led his horde to the west, in order to feed our people in the long winter,he requested assistance, and he was refused. he began raiding the countryside, determined to take what was needed while punishing the arrogant 'lords' who lived there. a great army came together and cornered my father, and slaughtered him and his men. not even a horse made it back. I know many died that winter, including my brothers. I will not forgive, and I would never forget. So soon, we show the western pigs and their whore mothers WHO THEY SHOULD TRULY FEAR!" the cheers of the clan echoed into the night, drowning out even the sound of ringing hammers.


	2. the choice

After a few weeks of recuperation and relaxation with his master Arianna, Mike is asked to a meeting with Saito. he arrives at Saito's estate and waits patiently in the foyer. An explosion Causes Mike to dive behind the nearest wall and draw his newly purchased rapier. after a moment of silence, mike cautiously approaches the room that the sound came from. He finds a soot covered Saito unconscious on the ground in front of a livid Louise. " why can't you keep your hands off of the serving girls?" she asks in a wavering voice. "she fainted because she's ill! I caught her and then you walked in!" exclaimed Saito.

Louise huffed. "likely story dog. i will not share my bed tonight!" she stormed off. Saito sighed and sat up. "she always overreacts. what did I do to deserve this?" he notice mike and looked embarrassed. "sorry you had to see that. we fight like this a lot." mike just grinned sardonically "I'll bet. anyway, what did you call me here for?"

saito's face grew serious. "are you sure you want to stay i this realm? it can be dangerous sometimes, and it has few of the things you'd be used to seeing in our world."

mike just sighed. "I'm staying. the world back home is too small, and far too crowded. people fight over everything, and there's no places left for adventure. sure, I'll have to go without the internet and movies, but I'll be in a place that for most is impossible to go. besides, I've made friends here, and I've grown pretty attached to my 'master'. she's a good girl, with a strong sense of right and wrong. I'd like to help her."

Saito nodded. "i see, In that case... we've been getting word that small frontier villages in Germania are being raided. normally, this wouldn't be an issue but... all of the intercepting forces and several outposts have ceased communication, and messengers either disappear or come back and report nothing but ruins. my friend kirche is asking for our help, because the germanian army is mobilizing, but it isn't moving west, but east. something big is happening, and kirche can't get all the information she's trying to convince the king and their noble council to ask for the help of the alliance, because otherwise they could be struck from behind while their armies fight in the east. we think a war is coming, and we're gonna need soldiers."

Mike became serious. "I don't feel comfortable with talk of war. I just left one behind, and I don't want to fight another. especially if it will involve Arianna's ability. I don't want her to see anything like what I saw...she's too much of a good girl to do that to her"

Saito nodded. "I know, god I know exactly how you feel. Believe it or not you've matched my original stance almost word for word. But it's not about what we want anymore"

Saito stood and faced Mike, the look on his face saying he wouldn't take interruptions lightly. "The queen has already pledged support to Germania. She would not do this lightly, and not without pressing reasons. It's also the reason Arianna's family called her away when I invited you. She's probably been asked to serve in the queen's army and 'bring great glory to the family name' or some other bullshit."

Mike was startled, and then his face turned stony. "so I can't even protect her from this? DAMMIT!" he punched the wall and then sank into a nearby chair, staring at the floor.

"so what do I do now?" he asked, his voice low. Saito shook his head sadly. "you go back to war...soldier"

several days later, Arianna confirmed what Mike had been told. "My father filled me in Michael, We will be needed. I for one have no qualms about a chance to bring the Duval name glory"

Mike clenched his fists at his sides. "there is nothing Glorious about warfare, Ari... And I don't want you to be part of it. Powers or no, I will NOT expose you to that, and i won't stand idly by as you march off to fight."

Arianna was shocked "I must go! the Marshal requested me personally! This is a chance to restore our past! the duvals used to be considered the most powerful noble house! now we are all but forgotten"

Mike swallowed. "you haven't seen the things I have. I was in that godforsaken desert for three months! all the while never knowing where the enemy would come from! Once a patrol disappeared, and all we found was burning wrecks and corpses. I absolutely REFUSE to let you go, you're too much of a good girl to expose you to that!

Arianna straightened up, and placed her hands on her hips. "And when have familiars ever commanded their masters? I am a mage, and a noble at that! I will not tolerate your Forgetting your station!"

Mike was shcked, and then angry at her words. "I was NEVER a slave, nor a servant. I THOUGHT I was your friend!"

Arianna marched towards mike until her face was mere inches from his. "You are my FAMILIAR. You are my servant and bodyguard... nothing more."

Mike turned, grabbed his bag, and marched out of the manor and into the moonlit garden, before striding purposeully along the road to Talbe.

Scarron was in a bind, The patrons of the charming fairie had been promised entertainment and no one had shown up. The girl who was supposed to sing and dance had twisted her ankle practicing. Jessica worriedly watched her father try to put together a new act when the front door opened. a tall, brown haired young man strode in and came to the bar and sat down. one of the waitresses came up to him and took his order. "strongest you've got please" mike said, tossing a few silvers on the table.

mike noticed how anxious the waitresses were, and how rowdy some of the drukards were getting. when his waitress returned with his liqour he asked "whats going on? these guys look too excited for it to be good." the girl answered nervously "there was supposed to be music tonight, but the girl who was supposed to sing got hurt and can't do it."

mike thought for a moment before digging an old guitar from his bags, one of the few things he'd returned to his world for. "if you don't mind, I'll do a bit."

Scarron, who had overheard them was delighted, grabbing mike and hugging him tightly "OH that would be FABULOUS! thank you ever so much sir!"

mike straightened his clothes when scarron let go, edging out of reach before replying. "my pleasure, looks like you could use the help."

mike picked up his guitar and went to the makeshift stage, before sitting on a stool. He began playing and singing hotel california, all those in the building went silent. Soon, all were swaying with the music, singing the easy parts.

by the end of the night, Mike had played many old hits from earth. He became accidentally famed as a bard.


End file.
